Nielsen study confirms Netflix, Hulu, Amazon users binge on TV shows

A new study from Nielsen found users of online video services Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Instant Video love to binge on TV shows. Netflix subscribers say they also are attracted to original content, such as the acclaimed new prison comedy "Orange is the New Black," starring Taylor Schilling, center, and Vicky Jeudy.

A new study from Nielsen found users of online video services Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Instant Video love to binge on TV shows. Netflix subscribers say they also are attracted to original content, such as the acclaimed new prison comedy "Orange is the New Black," starring Taylor Schilling, center, and Vicky Jeudy. (Netflix)

Dawn C. Chmielewski

Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Instant Video users share one common passion: They all have an appetite for "binge viewing," according to the latest research from Nielsen.

Nielsen's analysis of so-called over-the-top services -- a term that refers to video delivered to the TV via an Internet connected device such as a video game console or dedicated streaming box -- found that viewers are streaming video at a brisk pace.

All the online video services experienced year-over-year gains in the number of users, Nielsen found. These consumers are overwhelmingly turning to Netflix, Hulu or Amazon to watch back-to-back episodes of a TV show.

Some 88% of Netflix users and 70% of those who subscribe to Hulu Plus say they stream three or more episodes of the same TV show in a single day, Nielsen reported. The behavior seems to reflect consumers' desire to curate their own programming lineup.